Demand and Burden of Dental Care in Canadian Households

Abstract

This paper examines factors associated with dental care spending in Canada employing through three models; the first model estimates the income elasticity of demand for dental care and the other two models

Dental health-care service utilisation and its determinants in West Iran: a cross-sectional study

“…Knowledge on factors affecting dental health‐care utilisation is important to inform the health system and develop policies aimed at improving dental health‐care services, service utilisation and oral health status of people. However, several factors, including economic status, age, gender, educational level and individual's perspective on dental hygiene, affect dental health‐care. Generally, two categories of variables affect dental health‐care utilisation.…”

The use of dental care services in Alberta, Manitoba, and Newfoundland and Labrador: A comparative analysis

“…These limited inclusion criteria for public‐funded dental care leave a lot of residents, especially low‐income adults and older persons, without adequate access to preventive dental care. A recent study among Canadian households found that dental care expenditure in NFLD and other Atlantic provinces was relatively lower than those of AB and the Territories, and that this trend also pertained to preventive care such as check‐ups and cleaning (Andkhoie et al ). Similarly, the researchers also found that the burden of dental care expenditure relative to income was lower in AB and the Territories, compared to the other provinces.…”

“…The exclusion of dental care services from the list of medically necessary services has been criticized as a shortcoming in the country's policy push for health care equity (Leake ; Quiñonez and Grootendorst ). Studies show that socio‐economically disadvantaged Canadians such as seniors (McNally ; Yao and MacEntee ; Andkhoie et al ), Aboriginal Peoples in isolated communities (Cavin ; Raoufi and Birkhed ), low‐income earners (Muirhead et al ; Thompson et al ), and immigrants (Lai and Hui ; Calvasina et al ) have inadequate access to dental care services. These groups are often less likely to use dental care services, despite being the groups in greatest need of such services (Muirhead et al ).…”

“…The current system of dental care financing in Canada places an undue economic burden on the poor and vulnerable. Research indicates that dental care in the country is mainly funded through employment‐based insurance (60%) and direct out‐of‐pocket expenditure (35%) (Muirhead et al ; Quiñonez and Grootendorst ; Andkhoie et al ). Publicly funded dental care for children and adults on social assistance constitute only 5% of all funding (Muirhead et al ; Quiñonez and Grootendorst ).…”

Factors Affecting Demand and Utilization of Dental Services: Evidence from a Developing Country

“…Evidence suggests that economic factors are not the only factors affecting the demand and utilization of dental care services, but there are also factors such as race, age, gender, parental education level, health literacy level, people's attitudes, family income, insurance status, geographical location, and socio-cultural factors that can affect access to educational services, preventive care, and dental services (15)(16)(17). In addition, having dental insurance coverage is one of the main determinants of demand and utilization of these services (18). The results by Andkhoie et al (18) showed that Canadian household income elasticity for the demand for dental services was 0.146.…”